Emotions can get in the way of progress and productivity. No, I do not mean the “feelings” one can “catch” in a casual relationship when one begins to develop more than just fling sensations. I speak of the deep self-wallowing that can result in cementing one’s positive momentum. I have found that distractions such as fear, embarrassment, and other unpleasant feelings such as those can be motivational in small increments. However, if one pays too much energy to these emotions, one can risk falling into a slippery slope in a deep ocean of emotions. For example, my friend Sadie was dumped. She reacted in a typical way; staying in her room crying for a few days, missing a few classes and eating massive amounts of ice-cream.

Now, after a week or so of this behavior, she has embraced the motto “The best revenge is living well.” and is consciously changing her grieving into constructive healing behavior. Go Sadie! On the other hand, Ana, also dumped by her man, started every day crying on her way to work, hardly eating and staying up all night calling her ex. This continued for over a month. Instead of changing her self-destructive behaviors into beneficial actions, Ana was feeding her negative emotions, causing her to crumble into a self-debilitating state.

Great advice for keeping in a progressive momentum is to be insanely busy. Every waking moment is to be spent on some sort of task or goal that keeps your mind occupied and away from negative thoughts while at the same time improves your life in some way. In my experience, once I begin to think about embarrassing things I’ve done, how others have wronged me or all of the terrible occurrences happening in the world, I am enveloped in a big cloud of negativity away from reality. Although you can not control what happens around you, you do control your reactions and your mental state. What you spend your energy and time on is what will flourish and prosper. Take Sadie for example, she focused on her health and friendships, in return, her Body Mass Index decreased and friendship bonds were strengthened. However, Ana was exhausted due to her low-calorie intake and lack of sleep.

We can choose to be Debbie Downers by continuously giving in to negative thoughts but this becomes a habit contributing to personalities. Not to mention the effects it can have on mental health. Keeping emotions in a metaphorical box allows for time and energy to be spent bettering ourselves, passions or businesses. Although it is still important not to ignore feelings that must be felt, do not stay in a dark cloud for too long, as it becomes harder and harder to snap out of it. Choose rather, to be fluid and push yourself down the path you wish to take. Put your energy towards bettering yourself always.